As a photographer and visual artist, my inspiration is intimately connected to my passion for travel and discovery of world cultures. This has shaped my photographic expression to focus on an unexpected paradox: the exploration of visual contrasts between people of diverse social circles, the abstract beauty lying in nature embedded within cities, as well as saturated and textured urban environments. Collage techniques with overlapping photographs help me express these complicated relationships.
This project has emerged from an ambitious idea a few years ago as I was travelling from East to West and back, which was to bind together a number of contrasting urban landscape themes catching my eye: minimalism in an overloaded context, patterns and shapes in architectural choices, movements and lights in vibrant surroundings.
I decided to leverage on the limited set of skills, time and photographic equipment at my disposal, and chose to build a global series of artworks. The cities I explored have obvious differences but also exhibit many similarities. I must say it was an enriching experience to compare the buzz of Tokyo's Akihabara to Midtown in New York City, or feeling the Sunday morning vibe of London's Borough Market to Hong Kong's Wan Chai atmosphere. Paris and Lisbon's historical districts will also forever keep a special place in my heart.
After years of globe-trotting with a consistent approach in mind, I was probably overwhelmed with the quantity of structured black and white urban backdrops, while also feeling uplifted by the casual and non-consequential state of mind when capturing abstract bokeh lights at night. Ultimately, I believe both impressions combined are a reflection of the duality of urban life.
Joel's awards:
Alliance Française de Hong Kong – First Price 2014
Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA) – Silver & Bronze (Environment & Editorial) 2016
Prix de La Photographie Paris (PX3) – Silver (Nature) 2017
Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA) – Silver (Fine Art, Collage) 2020
Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) – Silver (Fine Art, Collage) 2022
And more...
This is a hard copy, 180 pages, 360mm W x 235mm H, using 4 different premium art papers, including 48 pages of color printed natural translucent papers on top of each black and white image. Made in Hong Kong. ISBN: 978-988-70368-0-7.
Delivery by end July 2024